Immunotherapy linked to lower risk of Alzheimer's disease
Published 21 July 2009
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatments, the addition of good antibodies into the blood stream, may hold promise for lowering the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other similar brain disorders.
The research was published in the July 21 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Howard Fillit, MD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York says,
Neil Hunt
Chief Executive
Alzheimer's Society
'In our study, we looked at the association of the use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) with the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease. IVIg has been used safely for more than 20 years to treat other diseases but is thought to have an indirect effect on Alzheimer's disease by targeting beta-amyloid, or plaques in the brain.'Alzheimer's Society comment,
'This is a really encouraging epidemiological study. Clinical trials are now underway in this area and we look forward to the results. However, introducing large amounts of antibodies could cause serious side effects so important questions will need to be answered before this treatment becomes available.
'With more funding, treatments could become a reality sooner, yet research is desperately underfunded, the government invests eight times less in dementia research than cancer research. Much more investment is needed to care for people today and find a cure for tomorrow.'
Neil Hunt
Chief Executive
Alzheimer's Society
